How Disciplines Differ

Desmond

McNeill

The challenge of interdisciplinarity

- Interdisciplinary research

- Interdisciplinary teaching

What is interdisciplinary research?

• Multi-disciplinary: autonomy of the different disciplines; does not lead to changes in the existing disciplinary and theoretical structures;

• Inter-disciplinary: formulation of a uniform, discipline-transcending terminology or common methodology; cooperation within a common framework shared by the disciplines involved;

• Trans-disciplinary (also known as cross-disciplinary): research based on a common theoretical understanding and accompanied by a mutual interpenetration of disciplinary epistemologies.

(Source: OECD 1972)

What is a discipline?Dictionary definition

“An academic discipline, or field of study, is a branch of knowledge which is taught or researched at the college or university level. Disciplines are defined and recognized by the academic journals in which research is published, and the learned societies and academic departments or faculties to which their practitioners belong.”

Working definition:

A discipline is:

- A rigorous way of studying the world.

 

• It is rigorous (‘disciplined’)

• It is one way of studying/knowing/understanding

the world (there are many).

• It studies only one aspect, or part, of the world

Objects of study

• Material things

• Living things

• Individual human beings

• Groups of human beings

• … (e.g human artefacts)

Ways of studying them

• Observation

• Experimentation

• Dissection/analysis

• ….?

Where they are studied

• Field

• Laboratory

• Library/archives

• ……?

Ways of presenting results

• Description (text)

• Measurement (numbers)

• Depiction (photos, pictures, maps)

•  ….?

The object of study: matter or meaning

• One may range disciplines across a spectrum:

• Physics – chemistry – economics – anthropology – literary studies

’Naturalist’ approaches (emphasis on matter/individual agent)

Nature Physics Body Chemistry Mind Biochemistry Society economics

’Social’ approaches (emphasis on meaning/structure)

Society Anthropology/sociology Mind Psychology Body Gender studies Nature Environmental philosophy

NATURAL SCIENCES HUMAN SCIENCES

Phenomenon being Studied*

Explanation Explanation / Interpretation (thin description) (thin/thick description) Reductionist Holist Agent Structure (physics) (ecology) (economics) (anthropology) Laboratory Field ….. Field (Where) Quantitative Qualitative Quantitative Qualitative (How) (Predominant

method)

* e.g a rainbow, a wink, a factory

Rainbow (1)

Rainbow (2)

Wink (1)

Wink (2)

:

"Thick Description”

• Geertz: "Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture", adopted the term from philosopher Gilbert Ryle

• ”Consider, he says, two boys rapidly contracting the eyelids of their right eyes. In one, this is an involuntary twitch; in the other, a conspiratorial signal to a friend. The two movements are, as movements, identical; …. Yet the difference, however unphotographable, between a twitch and a wink is vast; as anyone unfortunate enough to have had the first taken for the second knows. The winker is communicating, and indeed communicating in a quite precise and special way: (1) deliberately, (2) to someone in particular, (3) to impart a particular message, (4) according to a socially established code, and (5) without cognizance of the rest of the company. As Ryle points out, the winker has done two things, contracted his eyelids and winked, while the twitcher has done only one, contracted his eyelids. Contracting your eyelids on purpose when there exists a public code in which so doing counts as a conspiratorial signal is winking.”

Factory

• ’Bagasse’ is what remains when sugar ise extracted from sugar cane.

• Is bagasse a product, a by-product, or waste?

Factory (2)

Value

• Value, in economics, is not a ‘natural’phenomenon. A commodity (in Marxian terms) is a material thing located in a social context.

Ways of seeing, Ways of knowing

There is a ’chasm’ between two different approaches. Moses & Knutsen call these:

- Naturalism and constructivism

and summarise the differences

(2007: 287)

Contrasts of approach

• Quantitative/qualitative• Entities/relations• Generalisation/context• Analytic/synthetic• Reductionist/holist• …..

 

 

Intellectual rigour

What constitutes rigour is decided by those who practice the discipline.

• Within a discipline, there is generally strong agreement as to what constitutes rigour.

• Between disciplines, there is often strong disagreement.

Why do research?

 

• Intrinsic reasons

• Instrumental reasons

Why do interdisciplinary research?

 

• Intrinsic reasons

• Instrumental reasons

What is an appropriate level of ambition?

• Multi-disciplinary: for policy-oriented research

• Inter-disciplinary: for more basic research

• Trans-disciplinary: not possible to achieve?

Next lectures

Intro: Hal Wilhite

Social science: anthropology

Social sceince: economics

Natural science: biology

Humanities

Conclusion: Desmond McNeill

Categories

The above processes (description, measurement) involve:

- Selection and, almost always,

- Classification.

Even measurement usually involves classification.

In demography, ’total population’ is arguably based on a ‘natural’ distinction - between humans and non-humans.

But the division between children and adults is not purely ‘natural’.

Categories: two examples

Zoology: 8 main taxonomic ranks: domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species.

Sociology: characteristics shared by members of a group may include interests, values, ethnic or social background, and kinship ties

In most cases, classification is not ‘natural’, but ‘social’ i.e. dependent on the shared meanings of a group of people.

Such classifications vary across different societies, or over time within a society.